


The Unpredictable Adventures of Uzumaki Naruko

by 1000percentDoneWithThisShist



Category: Naruto
Genre: But wants to destroy her village, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Gen, He loves his sunshine child, Introducing Kakashi Hatake's guilt complex, Iruka is our lovable resident ace, Kurama is an emotional mess, Multi, Narubowl, Protective Hanabi Hyuuga, She will kick your ass of you're mean to either of her big sisters, Uzumaki Naruko is sunshine incarnate, bad choices, how do you tag?, is that even a thing?, poor decision making
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-05-09 09:22:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14713415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1000percentDoneWithThisShist/pseuds/1000percentDoneWithThisShist
Summary: Uzumaki Naruko, sunshine incarnate, wants to become Hokage to protect her ever-growing list of precious people.It includes her sensei who loves to troll people, a brooding Uchiha (who is OBVIOUSLY a pervert, Sakura-chan, you need to accept that), and a pink-haired badass who could beat you up with her pinky finger.This sort of follows canon until after the Chunin Exams, then it's: "Canon? What's canon? It sounds like a disease."





	1. Passing the Academy Exams: Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have a beta reader, but I'm really lazy about fixing my chapters. Look at the end of the chapter for more notes.

Naruko Uzumaki was a lovable, bubbly blond. She had bright, yellow hair and the prettiest blue eyes you will ever see. The three symmetrical, whisker-like scars on each side of her face gave her a more exotic appearance. She was small for her age, lithe, but with a healthy body type.

 

Naruko also wore the mask as 'the village idiot'. After nearly being beaten to death on multiple occasions, she realized that the civilian villagers treated her slightly better when they believed her to be an idiot. It hurt to know that nearly everyone seemed to hate her, but she had years to try and make peace with that fact.

 

One day, when she was strong enough, she would become Hokage. And when she was Hokage, everyone would respect her for who she was. She would be able to openly love everyone in the village and make them her family.

 

That was her dream.

 

That was what kept her up at night studying the materials that the academy went over, knowing full well that the instructors were trying to sabotage her learning. What kept her training late into the night until she was bruised and sore. What forced her to try and eat a balanced meal whenever possible, including the vegetables.

 

It was the final day of the academy and she still couldn't do a bunshin. No matter how hard she trained her chakra control, it still wasn't enough; her chakra reserves were simply much too large to be able to properly use the bunshin.

 

Sighing in dismay at her situation, she turned to her alarm clock to see what time it was.

 

6:30.

 

The academy didn't start until 10:00 today because they technically didn't have lessons; it was only to tell whether you passed or failed the exams.

 

Putting her hair into a loose fishtail braid, she grabbed her orange jacket and rushed to the Hokage tower, hoping to ask her jiji for advice.

 

"Hello, Akino nee-san!" she called out cheerfully to the young receptionist.

 

"Uzumaki-chan!" Akino nearly yelped in surprise, "What are you doing here so early? And don't you have the academy today? You should be getting ready for that instead!" the brown-haired civilian gently scolded the blond.

 

Naruko giggled happily, happy that her nee-san cared. Akino was one of a very few civilians who treated her with any sort of kindness.

 

"Actually, this is about the academy!" she exclaimed.

 

"Oh?" Akino looked inquisitive.

 

"It's about the bunshin," Naruko began to answer her unasked question, "Simply put, I have too much chakra to properly use it, but I need to learn it in order to pass. I don't wanna fail a third time, so I'm hoping that jiji could give me some advice before the academy starts."

 

Akino gave a tiny chortle, smiling at the blond, "The Hokage should be available for your interrogation."

 

As Naruko began to walk off, she heard Akino call out from behind her, "Good luck, Uzumaki-chan! I believe in you!"

 

She believes in me. Naruko forced down the tears that the kind words brought to her eyes.

 

Turning back around, she gave the receptionist a vibrant grin, "Don't worry, I will! That's a promise, and Uzumaki Naruko never goes back on her word! That's my nindo!"

 

Akino giggled and shooed Naruko away towards the Sandaime.

 

The Sandaime was found sleeping on top of a pile of paperwork.

 

"Jiji!" she called out eagerly, startling him awake.

 

"Naruko-chan," he replied, truly baffled at why his pseudo granddaughter was visiting at the crack of dawn, "Is there something that I can do for you?"

 

"Actually, there is!" crowed the bubbly blond, "I need your advice on something!"

 

Hiruzen straightened up in his chair, face growing serious.

 

Despite her brash, and sometimes rude ways that she communicates to people, she actually shows them respect whenever they tried to advise her on a particular matter, even if she didn't agree with them.

 

However, years of living on her own forced her to be independent and self-sufficient.

 

If you came to her to give advice, she would respectfully listen to it. On the other hand, in all twelve years that the Sandaime has known Naruko-chan, he could count on one hand the number of times that she turned to him for advice.

 

To do so now, at the crack of dawn, meant that she was serious.

 

"Well then, Naruko-chan, what kind of advice do you need?" He leant forward, studying the girl in front of him.

 

"Jiji," that endearing nickname for him that he never had the heart to correct, "I need your help on the bunshin."

 

Aah. He should have expected that.

 

"No matter how hard I try, I always use too much chakra," Naruko continued on, "And so I was wondering if you had any idea on how to fix this problem." She trailed off, muttering under her breath, "I didn't want to fail a third time, dattebayo..."

 

Hiruzen's eyes softened as he looked at the young kunoichi with painful fondness.

 

'Minato, Kushina, you should be very proud of your daughter. She has grown up well.'

 

"Naruko-chan, I believe that you are going to find what I'm about to show you much more interesting than the regular bunshin."

 

He chuckled when he practically saw the stars in her eyes at the thought of being taught a new jutsu.

 

Standing up, he motioned for Naruko to step closer. In a clear, precise voice, he called out, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

 

Five identical copies of himself stood around the awestruck girl.

 

"So cool!" he heard her whisper excitedly.

 

"This is the kage bunshin," the Sandaime began to explain, an indulgent smile on his face, "It is a B-ranked jutsu that we consider a kinjutsu, and only give it to the jounin or anbu. The reason why we usually forbid anyone chunin rank or lower from learning this jutsu is because of the large chakra consumption it takes to complete this jutsu. However, with your abnormally high chakra reserves, this may be the perfect thing for you."

 

Naruko whooped in joy, "I'm learning a B-ranked jutsu. I'm so awesome, dattebayo! Take that, Sasuke-teme!"

 

"So," the Hokage began to idly sort through the file of papers, "Are you going to show them the true Naruko?"

 

Naruko froze up, smiling almost sadly at the person who she viewed as her grandfather, "No, I don't think I will, not yet. I'm first going to show my team before I show anyone else. When? I'm not sure."

 

"And I respect your wishes, Naruko-chan," Hiruzen replied placating, "I'm sure you'll know when the time is right to reveal yourself. All that I ask is that you allow me to be there for you when you need encouragement."

 

Naruko's eyes began to water.

 

It was the only warning that Hiruzen got before he stumbled back, a bundle of blond in his arms.

 

"Th-thanks jiji!" she hiccuped tearfully, tightening her hug, "You have no idea how grateful I am!"

 

"Now, now Naruko-chan," Hiruzen soothed, patting her head, "If you continue crying like this, you won't have any time to learn the kage bunshin."

 

Wiping the remaining tears from her eyes, Naruko gave a sunny grin, "I'm ready

whenever you are, jiji!"

 

* * *

 

It was around 9:15 when Naruko arrived at the academy. To her surprise, there was one other student in the class as well.

 

"Sasuke-teme? What are you doing here so early?"

 

The last Uchiha looked a bit surprised at the new arrival, "I could say the same to you, dobe. You're never on time, much less this early."

 

"Teme!" she sniped back, "I was too excited to stay asleep so I woke up at 6:00. Since I had several hours to spare, I decided to get in some last-minute training done before I came here."

 

"Usuratonkachi," Sasuke drawled, and Naruko felt herself bristle in indignation, before calming down when a hint of a smile played across his features.

 

Many might describe their relationship as 'antagonistic', but Naruko was the only person in their age group that Sasuke would ever begin to open up to, "Do you really think that a few hours of extra practice will make up for the years of being a dobe, dobe?"

 

Naruko, who was still in too much of a good mood over the jutsu she learned, decided not to rise to his baiting. Instead, she gave a secretive smile back, "I have a good feeling about this."

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Good luck failing."

 

Naruko grinned impishly, reaching out to poke his cheek, smiling even brighter at the glower he directed at her. "Don't be like that Sasuke-teme!" she sing-songed, sitting down beside him, "I would imagine that you'd want me to pass."

 

Sasuke scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest, "And why would I wish for that?"

 

"Well..." she trailed off, "When it comes down to your four-man squad-"

 

"What four-man squad?" Sasuke demanded, wondering how the usuratonkachi knew something that he didn't, and where she learnt about it, because it definitely wasn't in their textbooks.

 

"I probably wouldn't have found out about it if I didn't used to hang out at Hokage-jiji's office before the academy. But when you think about it, it makes sense." Seeing his utterly confused expression, Naruko sighed, "Sasuke-teme, as arrogant as you are, do you honestly believe that Konoha has enough jounin at their disposal to give every academy graduate one-on-one instructions? While still having enough jounin to complete all of the necessary B and A-ranked missions that supply our money?"

 

Sasuke scowled when he realized his flawed logic, petulantly muttering, "For a dobe, you sure know a lot about this."

 

"Of course I do, Sasuke-teme," Naruko stated plainly, "I'm going to become Hokage one day, so I need to know how these things work"

 

The brooding Uchiha grumbled, "I still don't see how this will affect me so much, that I'll actually want you to pass."

 

"Think about it this way," Naruko explained, "Your genin team will be made up of three academy graduates and a single jounin instructor. If I fail, you have to completely bank on Hinata-chan being your only female teammate if you don't want a fangirl on your squad."

 

She snickered at his horrified expression, continuing on, "'Cause be honest, Sasuke-teme, would you rather have me or Ino as a teammate?"

 

Sasuke didn't reply to her question. Instead, he turned to face her, dead serious, and said, "You are going to pass this exam."

 

Naruko giggled again, patting his head condescendingly until he smacked her hand away, "Don't worry, Sasuke-teme. Before, I would fail because I couldn't produce a proper bunshin. That's no longer a problem. In fact, I can make ones cooler than yours, 'ttebayo!"

 

Sasuke sneered in disbelief, "Prove it."

 

Naruko stood up, giving him a foxy grin, "Alright then, you asked for it. Kage bunshin no jutsu."

 

Immediately, two Narukos popped into existence, one on either side of Sasuke.

 

Naru-clone #1 poked and prodded at the boy's hair, "And unlike regular clones, we're solid."

 

"Will you quit it?!" Sasuke finally snapped, "Why do you keep poking me?!"

 

"Because it's fun," the Naru-clone replied bluntly, but stepped away to respect his personal space. "Besides, your hair is so interesting! I was for sure that it would be stiff and spikey in order to pull off that duck-butt look. But in reality, it's really soft!" There was a fascinated gleam in her eyes.

 

The original Naruko rolled her eyes, "Alright girls, fun's over." The two clones pouted, before dispelling themselves.

 

Sasuke gave a smirk, "Dear kami, it was like having two other Narukos around. I'm surprised that the village is still standing. After all, it can barely manage one of you, dobe."

 

"Teme!" she sniped back, but grinned despite herself.

 

The last Uchiha 'hn'ed in response, but took out his academy textbook and handed it over to Naruko, "Quick, skim over the contents, and you might have an actual chance of passing the exams."

 

"Awww!" she gushed mockingly, hands clasped over her heart, "You do care!"

 

"You'd be one of the only kunoichi from our graduating class that I'd actually respect as a fellow shinobi. Unlike everyone else, and despite how you act in class, I know that you take the job more seriously than most."

 

Naruko felt a warm feeling curl up inside of her, "Thanks, Sasuke-teme."

 

"Pfft, whatever, Usuratonkachi. Just shut up and study."

 

And study she did.


	2. Passing the Academy Exams: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruko manages to pass the exam, but it seems as if luck is not on her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Truth be told that I don't have a set date for posting new chapters. I'll try not to be the person who waits for three or so months before posting a new fic, but I get really lazy, so I wouldn't get your hopes up.
> 
> This is still a self indulgent fic, so I like to hurt my baby in order to make the hurt/comfort sections of this fic all the more fluffy.

 

 

 

It was around 9:50 when the other genin hopefuls began to filter into the classroom.

Hinata was the first to come in, giving a small 'eep' when she saw her idol sitting next to the Uchiha, before giving a shy wave and quickly finding a seat to sit down at.

Shino was next, followed by Chouji and Shikamaru.

Naruko quickly gave the textbook back to the Uchiha with a mutter of, "I'm giving it back before any of your fangirls arrive so I'm not harassed because they saw me borrowing your textbook."

Sasuke 'hn'ed, and put the book away, eyes scanning the classroom to see which ones would probably pass the exams.

All of the clan children, for sure. Probably Naruko, if the dobe could get a decent grade on the written portion. And perhaps Sakura, as long as she does ok in the physical portions.

Sasuke found it beyond idiotic how many girls cared more about their appearance and wait than they did about actually training their bodies to fight. They didn't need to diet; they were supposed to train enough so that they worked off all the extra calories.

Hinata ate small, but healthy portions, and always carried around several energy bars just in case she needed them.

Naruko ate like a pig. Sasuke was always torn between disgust and awe whenever he saw her eat at that one ramen shop, and yet manage to maintain a perfect figure.

He looked at Naruko and saw her staring out the window, face blank, but eyes holding a mixture of longing and sadness. Instantly, he knew that she was looking at a civilian family. And he was reminded that she was like him; both knew what loneliness felt like. Knew how much it ached to see everyone else happy when their families came to pick them up, and they went home to an empty house.

"INO-PIG!" a shrill voice cried out, and Sasuke resisted the urge to cringe, "I'M GOING TO BE THE ONE TO SIT BY SASUKE-KUN!"

"DON'T BE DAFT, FOREHEAD! THE ONE TO SIT BY SASUKE-KUN IS GOING TO BE ME!"

He heard Naruko grumble and turned his attention towards her just in time to hear her say, "But unfortunately for you both, I'm already sitting by Sasuke-teme, and I'm to lazy to move."

When she noticed his slightly surprised expression, she replied with, "Just think of it as a 'thank you' for allowing me to borrow your textbook, teme."

"Hn, dobe."

"Naruko-baka, move it!" screamed Sakura, "I want to sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

Naruko gave a grin that was both foxy and amused, pretending to be thinking over her answer, "Mmm, no." Giving a careless shrug, she let out an obnoxious laugh, "Sorry, Sakura-chan! I'm feeling too lazy to move!"

Just as Sakura began to stalk forward, no doubt aiming to do bodily harm to the blond, Umino Iruka stepped into the classroom to begin the exams.

"Everyone find a seat, please! Sakura! Ino! Find a seat at stop messing around with Sasuke!"

He was answered with a, "Hai, sensei," as the two girls sullenly walked to another desk. In front of Naruko, Kiba began snickering.

The test took Naruko about an hour and a half to actually complete it. She made sure to get some questions wrong; it would look strange if the academy dobe suddenly got every single one of the questions correct.

Taking a quick peek around the room showed that she was one of the first ones done. Hinata was twiddling her thumbs, somewhat nervously. Sakura was glaring daggers at Naruko's back, and she knew that it was because she was sitting next to Sasuke.

She spent the next hour idly doodling along the margins of the papers, day-dreaming about being Hokage.

"Alright everyone, time is up! Please put your pencils down and pass your papers forward!"

The other tests were in a similar fashion, and Naruko made sure to hold back on every single one of them.

For target practice, she made sure to get 7 out of 10, with none of them in the dead center. When they had sparring matches, Naruko used a loose, bastardized style based off the one she was currently working on for herself. It was unpredictable and capitalized on the fact that she was deceptively strong for her build. However, the bastardized version incorporated none of the speed or flexibility, and left glaringly obvious holes in her defenses.

The final test was the academy three. Naruko was so excited, she was practically vibrating in place. Unfortunately for her nerves, they called the students in one-at-a-time in alphabetical order, meaning that she would be on of the last ones to be tested.

To take her mind off of the final exam, she turned her attention to the other students.

She cheered and babbled out encouraging words, hoping to lift their spirits and boost their self-confidence. Some people looked annoyed, others in gratitude. The rest were indifferent to the whole ordeal. But no matter how they felt about the energetic blond, no one tried to stop her complements.

"Uzumaki, Naruko!"

"That's my que, folks!" she giggled as she jumped up out of her seat, walking to the classroom.

Inside were two of her favorite senseis, Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei. After all, these were the only two academy instructors who didn't kick her out of their class to sabotage her learning. Iruka-sensei was smiling gently at her while Mizuki-sensei smirked.

"All right then, Naruko-chan, henge yourself into one of us."

"Ok, dattebayo! _Henge no jutsu!_ " she replied, and turned into an exact copy of Iruka.

Both chunin looked somewhat impressed.

"Great job, Naruko-chan!" praised Iruka, making the blond blush bashfully.

Mizuki-sensei continued on, "Excellent work, Naruko-chan. Now, can you please substitute yourself? We have placed multiple logs around the room for you to use. I will be throwing this blunt kunai at you; replace yourself before you end up getting hit. Ready? Go!"

What happened next left the two chunin struck speechless.

Naruko had effortlessly used the kawarimi jutsu. The moment Mizuki had thrown the kunai, Naruko replaced herself with the _kunai_ _itself,_ her own practice kunai in hand, using their moment of surprise to slide the blunt kunai to Mizuki-sensei's neck.

The tense moment was ruined, however, when she fell back onto the floor, laughing.

"Oh kami, you should see your faces, 'ttebayo! Everybody always uses logs, or something farther away. No one would ever expect me to replace myself with the kunai! Man! Am I awesome or what?"

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, "Right then. Erm, Naruko-chan, can you please make a clone?"

The blond giggled mischievously, "I'll do ya one even better! _Kage bunshin no jutsu!_ " Fifteen different Narukos filled the area, all looking at Iruka expectantly, "So, Iruka-sensei? Did I do it? Did I pass?!"

Iruka smiled at her with pride, "Yes, Naruko, you passed."

"YATTA! I'M GOING TO BE HOKAGE SOON, DATTEBAYO!"

Iruka smiled in a mixture of fondness and exasperation, "Yes, yes, that's great and all, but we really need to finish testing the rest of the students."

The blond gave a shy grin, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, "Sure thing, sensei."

Neither of them noticed Mizuki's dark scowl.

 

* * *

 

Naruko looked on with a bittersweet smile on her face as she saw everyone else with their parents.

 

 

_' Ryu-kun, you're so amazing!'_

_'C'mon pumpkin, let's have a celebratory dinner.'_

_'How about we go get ice cream after this, champ.' '_

_Our baby's finally a kunoichi, we're so proud of you!'_

The last comment had Naruko biting down on her lips to stifle a broken sob. Would her parents have been proud of her, if they could see her now? Would they have supported her dream?

"Naruko-chan?"

Naruko quickly wiped away any tears that stubbornly clung to her lashes. Turning to the sound of the voice, she gave the biggest, most fake grin that she could manage.

"Mizuki-sensei!" her voice was upbeat and cheerful, "Is there something that I can do for you?"

"How are you feeling, kiddo? Why aren't you up there with everybody else, celebrating?"

Naruko shrugged, noncommittally, "Eh, who cares? It's not really my thing. Besides, I'm so awesome that they look like babies in comparison, 'ttebayo! I don't want to ruin their moment."

Mizuki gave a soft laugh, hand stretching out to ruffle her hair, "I can see that." 

"Sensei...stop that!" Naruko complained, puffing out her cheeks and pouting.

"Actually, Naruko-chan, I _did_ come here to talk to you about something."

"Oh?" Naruko's head tilted curiously, "What's up, Mizuki-sensei? Is something wrong?"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing bad!" Mizuki rushed to assure the slightly distraught child.

Sighing, he placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes as he spoke softly, "Naruko-chan? This is about your exams."

The blond girl did not notice that her smile had slipped off her face, looking at Mizuki with a mixture of confusion and hurt.

"My exams?" Naruko mumbled softly, "But didn't Iruka-sensei say that I had passed?"

Mizuki caressed her hair, "Of course you did Naru-chan, don't you ever doubt your abilities as a ninja. It's just that," he gave a frustrated wave of his hand, "surely you must see that the villagers treat you unfairly?"

Naruko gave an unhappy nod.

"They're going to be unfair to you again," Mizuki stated bluntly, "I know you know about the squads of four, right? But did you know about the second genin test?"

Naruko wordlessly shook her head 'no'.

"The test at the academy is to see if you even have what ot takes to become a genin. It's the personalized test that your jounin instructor gives you that determines whether or not you actually become a genin. But one of the biggest reasons why there is a 66% failing rate is because there are so many teams made up of purely civilian genin."

After seeing her confused expression, Mizuki began to elaborate, "Haven't you ever noticed that every other civilian in your class doesn't even put in half the effort that you do?"

Again, Naruko nodded, unsure at what he was getting at.

"They group civilians together because they expect them to fail."

Naruko snapped her eyes up to meet Mizuki's, startled, "W-what?"

"Most civilians don't have the motivation to truly become a ninja and deal with what it all entails. This is why you will almost always see clan kids grouped together, because they are expected to take their jobs as a ninja seriously, and pass the second genin test."

Mizuki looked at her guiltily, "I wanted to place you on a team with Sasuke to help your chances of passing, but due to your status as dead-last, they want to use it as an excuse to place you on an all-civilian team."

Naruko looked to be teary eyed, looking at her sensei in silent despair. "But how could I ever become Hokage," she cried, "if they don't let me become a kunoichi in the first place?!"

"Yes, but that's the reason why I managed to make up a special exam, just for you!"

"Just for me?" Naruko scrunched her nose up cutely in her confusion.

"Yep. I give you a specific task, and if you complete it successfully, you are moved to another team where you are not set up to fail."

Naruko stood up and began to hop around in her excitement, "What is it, Mizuki-sensei? What is it?! What do I have to do, 'ttebayo?!"

Mizuki gave a faint smirk, "Calm down kiddo."

He sighed, and took on the attitude of a mission commander, "Academy student Uzumaki Naruko, your mission is this: sneak into the Hokage's tower and 'steal' a certain scroll. Make sure not to trip any potential traps they may have been laid out for you, and to not get caught by any ninja."

Mizuki smiled at her put out expression, "That's it, 'ttebayo? No awesome fights?"

"I think that you will find that information gathering is the hardest thing to do. Anyone can be loud and call attention to themselves, but only the sneakiest of ninja can fool the Hokage, himself.

"Once you have the scroll, come back here to give it to me. I will pass you and then give it back to the Hokage-sama."

Naruko looked slightly overwhelmed, "This is a lot to take in, do you mind if I take some time to think everything over?"

"Of course," Mizuki assured, "But remember that it needs to be done by the end of tonight." Ruffling her hair once more, he chuckled at her sqwuak of protest, before walking away.


	3. Passing the Academy Exams: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She blandly stated it like one would state the weather. 
> 
> Sasuke choked on his tomato slice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahaha. I'm feeling excited because it was the last day of school for me. This chapter, just like the previous one, hasn't been beta read yet (I don't want to run my beta reader ragged with my continuous updates).
> 
> So until my beta reader decides to correct my story (and until I decide to stop being a jackass and actually put in the new edited version), you'll just have to deal with a TON of grammar mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy.

Before Naruko could go back and sigh wistfully at seeing her fellow classmates interact with their parents, another voice interrupted her, "Dobe?

She spun around with a squeak; Sasuke I'm-a-bastard Uchiha had been standing _right_ behind her!

"Teme? What are you doing over here?"

Sasuke had an unreadable look in his eyes as he stared at her, "I could ask the same of you, dobe. You just made genin, shouldn't you be cerebrating that you're, 'One step from becoming Hokage'?"

"Celebrating?" Naruko let out a derisive noise from the back of her throat, "Sasuke-teme, who would I be celebrating _with_?"

Sasuke didn't reply to her. Instead, he grabbed her wrist and began to march her to an unknown place.

"S-Sasuke! Sasuke-teme, stop! Where are we going?"

"Hn, dobe, just calm down and trust me. You never know where fangirls might be lurking."

Naruko snorted in amusement, "You _do_ realize that they could just follow us, right?"

"But if they don't know where we are heading, then they can't get there before us and plan an ambush," he shivered, "Naruko, make sure to never give away information to the enemy!"

Naruko giggled, but let Sasuke drag her away.

She liked hanging out with Sasuke, those few moments when it would be just the two of them together. He understood her pain, understood that some of her smiles were fake.

When she was with him, she could be more herself: The Naruko that was much more than the imperfect dead-last. The one who was a secret nerd when it came to botany. The one who could be bitter and petty when it came to families. The one who loved cooking more than pranks. The one who wasn't always loud.

The longer they walked, the more Naruko felt a strange sense of déjà-vu. 

"Teme," she whispered, "Are we going to your clan compound?"

"Hn."

Naruko pouted, but didn't say anything more. 

They _did_ go to Sasuke-teme's clan compound, and Naruko took a moment to shiver at how empty everything seemed. Suddenly, it felt wrong to be standing there.

"Sasuke-teme, are you sure that its alright for me to be here?"

He looked at her questioningly, "Who else is going to tell you 'no'?"

And suddenly, Naruko understood. He had no one to celebrate his graduation with, either. She gave him a genuine grin, blushing slightly as she said, "I hope you know that I'm gonna raid your pantry for food!"

Sasuke snorted, "Hn. You're going to be sorely disappointed, usuratonkatchi. I don't have any ramen."

Naruko glared and smacked his arm, "Teme! I'll have you know that I eat more than just ramen!" At his disbelieving stare, she huffed, "I do, too! I'll even cook you something!"

Sasuke smirked at her, "I'd rather not die by food poisoning, dobe."

Naruko growled, lunging at Sasuke, "TEME!" Sasuke easily sidestepped her, using her momentum to trip her. In an instant, he was straddling her waist, knees pinning her arms to her sides. Sasuke took out a kunai and placed it at her slender neck, halting any struggles.

"Better luck next time, usuratonkatchi." Naruko growled back, baring her teeth.

Sasuke took a moment to truly look at her. He knew, objectively, that she was very pretty. He heard many of the boys in class comment about her looks. But seeing her like this, with golden hair fanning her flushed face like a halo and vibrant blue eyes _alive_ and filled with emotion, all he could think of was 'beautiful'. 

Not for the first time, Sasuke was reminded of his hatred for Itachi. Itachi had turned him into an avenger, he had no time to try and pursue anything with Naruko. He didn't love her, and as an avenger, he doubted that he ever would. But he knew that he was happy whenever she was around. He doubted that he'd ever be able to truly love her, but he knew that he cared about her.

She had a special place in his heart, of what was left of it. Most of his heart had died along with his family, leaving only broken and bitter fragments. But then Naruko came into his life: loud and boisterous, yet calm and thoughtful. She made her way into his heart, taking a broken piece of it, and making ot her own.

This was why he needed to kill Itachi; to protect Naruko and any other person he cared about. To try and pursue her now, while his brother was still alive, was like painting a bright red target on her back. And Sasuke didn't know what he would do if she was taken away from him, too.

"Um, teme?" Naruko's voice broke him out of his thoughts. 

She looked increasingly uncomfortable as she squirmed around nervously, and Sasuke realized that he had been staring at her for the past several minutes.

Sitting back on her waist, Sasuke opened his mouth to apologize for making her uncomfortable and- "What can I say? It's a nice view."

Oh crap, that wasn't what he meant to say.

Naruko blinked, surprised, before she gave him a lethal glare and socked him in the jaw. " _Pervert!_ " she hissed, shoving him off of her.

To her utter infuriation, Sasuke-teme looked entirely unrepentant. He simply stood up and offered her his hand, to which she grudgingly accepted. 

"Welcome to my home," Sasuke drawled derisively, motioning to the house in front of them with his hands. Naruko gave a short nod, taking her shoes off at the door.

"Ojamahimasu!" Naruko called out bravely into the empty house, flushing at the surprised expression on the teme's face. "What?" she snapped at him, "I thought that was what you were supposed to say!"

Sasuke scoffed, "Nothing, dobe, I just didn't expect you to say it."

Naruko growled, but didn't rise to the bait. Instead, she turned to him and asked, "Teme, where's your kitchen? I want to make us something for dinner. But first, I'll make dango for us to snack on while we wait."

"Second door to the left," Sasuke called out absentmindedly, looking a little dazed.

Three hours (and twelve dango sticks) later, Naruko had finally finished dinner (she had all but kicked Sasuke out of his own kitchen, telling him to go train or something). 

She couldn't help but gloat a bit at Sasuke-teme's slightly awed expression at the sight of their meal, "Ha, Sasuke-teme! I _told_ you I could cook!"

She had made yakitori with a side of onigiri and umeboshi. 

"Dobe!" he choked out, "How do _you_ of all people know how to cook?!"

Naruko shrugged her shoulders, "I've been on my own since I was four. No one was going to cook me delicious, home-cooked meals so I learned to do it myself. I actually find it rather fun to do."

Sasuke hesitantly tried a bite, before letting out a small groan of delight. He then flushed, glaring at the blond haired cooking goddess, "You didn't hear that."

Naruko simply beamed at him exuberantly, "Does that mean you like my cooking, 'ttebayo?" 

Sasuke didn't reply, only shoving more food into his mouth without delay.

Without noticing, several silent tears began to drip past her cheeks. Sasuke paused long enough to let out a concerned (not that he would ever admit to it), "Dobe?", eating at a more sedate pace.

Naruko gasped in surprise, using the palm of her hand to wipe away her tears, "Sorry, sorry. It's just that, even if it's just you, teme, I wonder if this is what it's like to eat as a family, ya know?"

Sasuke stared at her for a moment, before setting down his chopsticks, clasping his hands together in a silent prayer. Naruko felt her eyes widen, before she eagerly copied his motions.

In that empty, lonely house, two voices cried out in unison, "Itadakimasu!"

Digging into her meal with gusto, Naruko have herself a mental pat on the back; she outdid herself with this meal, for sure.

"So, Sasuke-teme," Naruko began, chewing on a piece of chicken thoughtfully, "I always wondered about your thoughts over those poor, delusional girls who believe themselves to be the next 'Mrs. Uchiha'. Honestly, at times I, myself, was ready to try and stop them. I don't know what they learned in those flower picking classes 'cause I was never allowed inside, but I'm pretty sure that sexual harassment is not how you court someone." She blandly stated it like one would state the weather.

Sasuke choked on his tomato slice.

Naruko began slapping his back, "Don't die, teme. What would your fans think if you were offed in such a pathetic way?"

"Maybe then...they'll finally...leave me alone."

Naruko snickered, rubbing a few soothing circles onto his back, before pulling away, "Nah, your luck's not _that_ good. They'd probably try and send you their food in the afterlife."

"Well, if I receive food without having to actually deal with them..."

Naruko shook her head in amusement, "Sasuke-teme, buddy, do you really think that a pack of crazy girls whose diets consist of salad, water, and air will know how to cook _actual_ food? You'd hate it."

Sasuke grimaced, "Salad is disgusting by itself. I'd rather date you."

The blond snorted, elbowing him in the arm. "Teme," she sang, grinning, "Answer honestly, you're just using me for my cooking abilities, aren't you?"

She was answered with a wry, "You mean you didn't know before?"

"Well, anyways, they have their work cut out for them. After all, I am the only person you speak in full sentences to, much less willingly converse with." The foxy blond snickered as an amusing thought popped into her head, "Oh my kami, Sasuke-teme! Imagine how your conversations would go!"

Her voice raised in pitch as she mockingly gushed, batting her eyelashes obnoxiously, "'Good morning, Sasuke-kun! What would you like for breakfast?' 'Hn.' 'Ok, then! I'll make low carb, low fat pancakes! You're so smart, Sasuke-kun!' 'Hn.' 'Oh, you like my hair, Sasuke-kun? I put it up just for you!' 'Hn.'" Placing a hand on his chest, she leant in with a barely concealed laugh, "'Oh, Sasuke-kun! I love your muscles! You're so big, and strong! And my pathetic lack of muscles makes yours seem all the more appealing by comparison!'"

Sasuke tilted his head away, looking more than slightly disturbed as his fingers gripped her wrist, pulling her hand away from his chest. Naruko burst out laughing, before looking out the kitchen window.

Her expression cleared of any previous happiness, and Sasuke was instantly on alert again.

"I'm really sorry to cut this short, Sasuke-teme, but I just remembered that I have some somewhere to be. Besides, it's getting dark so I better head out. Thank you again for allowing me to come over."

Sasuke nodded his head in acknowledgement, "Do you want the rest of your food?"

"Nah," Naruko began putting on her shoes, "I made it for you, anyways. I never get to do things for people, mainly because I lack money and most people refuse to give me the time of day needed for me to be able to do something for them. So ot makes me happy to see someone enjoy something I made for them."

And with that humble confession, she grabbed her jacket and was out the door in a blur.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, before following after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm too lazy to find and send the links of what the different foods are made of. Just google the different names and look at google images.


	4. Passing the Academy Exams: Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Face-off between Naruko and Mizuki and the aftermath. 
> 
> (AKA: Mizuki gets the s*** kicked out of him and various ninja begin to unofficially adopt Naruko.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer wait. This chapter is slightly longer to make up for that.

Umino Iruka was a young chunin in his early twenties. He loved his job as an academy instructor, and he loved every single one of his students. However, he had a vague fear that his job would be no more once the Hokage realized that he had murdered his honorary granddaughter. 

_'Oh, Naruko-chan, how could she have done something so_ stupid _? What made her think that it was an A-okay idea to steal the_ Forbidden Scroll _?!'_

He was going to find her. He would make sure she was fine. If he found out that any person dared harm a single hair on her head, _he would skewer them alive and rid them of their ability to reproduce._ Then he was going to _kill the little brat himself!_  

He nearly had a heart attack when he saw Naruko, dirty and bruised, as she sat in the Forest of Death with the scroll on her lap.

Her attention turned towards him, surprised, before she gave him a warm smile, face brightening with excitement, "Hello, Iruka-sensei! Are you here to take the place of Mizuki-sensei?" He blinked in surprise when she handed the scroll back over to him, "Here you go, now we can give this back to jiji."

Something she said filled him with a sense of foreboding, "Naruko-chan, why would you expect Mizuki-sensei to be here?"

Naruko tilted her head to the side in curiosity, "Whaddya mean, Iruka-sensei? It's part of my test, 'ttebayo. Mizuki-sensei said that the elders were trying to place me on an all civilian team, so that I would fail the second genin test, dattebayo. To be honest, it makes perfect sense because the elders seriously _hate my guts,"_ by now she was rambling, but Iruka could only stare dumbly at her in shock, "I was supposed to prove myself with this test so that they put me on a team where I have an actual chance on passing and becoming genin. I'm not saying that civilians _can't_ become shinobi, dattebayo, but the civilians in my class don't have the right attitude to pass and become genin."

"Naruko-chan," Iruka spoke lowly, fear solidifying into a solid stone that sunk into his stomach, "Mizuki-sensei lied to you. I never authorized such a test, and taking the Forbidden Scroll without a valid reason is considered treason. Mizuki set you up."

He looked on sadly as her eyes widened in horror. She jut her lower lip out and trembled, tears forming and wetting her eyelashes, "B-But Iruka-sensei," she hiccupped, "I've always been loyal to the village. I still am!"

Slowly, he pulled her into a hug, cradling her head against his chest. She hugged him back, sobbing out, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" like a mantra.

"Hush," he cooed in her ear, "The Hokage knows that you would never willingly betray the village, we just need to explain to him what happened and warn him about Mizuki."

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

"Sorry, Iruka, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

Iruka felt a growl bubble up in his throat, "You absolute bastard." Grabbing Naruko by the forearm, he yanked her behind himself in a bout of pure protectiveness. 

This was a child. More importantly, this was _one of his students._ Naruko was _one of his children,_ and Mizuki would regret the day he ever _thought_ about using her in one of his twisted schemes!

Iruka felt Naruko tremble slightly, and chanced a peek at her, worried about her inevitable outburst. What he saw surprised him, like a Tsunade-strength punch to his gut.

She wasn't trembling out of fear, or even anger, but of heart wrenching betrayal. Her eyes held a mixture of anger, hurt, confusion, and (by far, the worst) resigned acceptance.

"Ne, Mizuki-sensei," Naruko spoke up, "Do you hate me too?"

The corners of Mizuki's smirk twisted cruelly, "Of course I do, you demon **bitch**."

The next few moments were a blur to Iruka. 

Movement. Red. Blood. Pain. 

Once the ringing in his ears had subsided, he could make out the garbled voice of Naruko chanting fervently in his ear, " _Iruka-sensei! Are you alright?! Iruka-sensei!_ "

Why was he in so much pain again? Oh right, Mizuki, _that son of a_ _bitch._ He threw a fuma shuriken, which had embedded itself into Iruka's back. 

"Naruko," he slurred out, trying his best to smile reassuringly at her. However, the blood that had begun to slowly trickle its way out of the corners of his mouth ruined it, "I'm sorry you had to experience something like this. It must have been so lonely for you. I am an orphan as well, so I somewhat understand your pain. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

Mizuki sneered, "How touching. However, Naruko-chan, I wouldn't trust him," his smirk grew even colder at her disdainful scoff, "Have you ever wondered _why_ the villagers treat you the way they do? Why they hate you?"

Iruka's eyes widened in panic, "ARE YOU INSANE?! THAT'S AN S-RANKED SECRET!"

Mizuki gave a sly grin, "See? Even Iruka-sensei kept this from you! Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know the reason why, no matter _how hard you try,_ it will **never** be enough to validate your existence?!"

"Mizuki, stop!" It was a desperate plea.

Naruko, sweet, curious Naruko, looked uncertainly towards him, but ultimately turned her attention back towards Mizuki.

"You know the reason why they hate me?"

"As does everybody else who is eighteen or older. Tell me, Naruko-chan, what do you know about the kyuubi attack, twelve years ago?"

Naruko looked on warily, "The Fourth died defeating the kyuubi, the same day as my birth. But the date of my birth shouldn't be enough for them to hate me the way they do."

"I knew you were smarter than you let on!" Mizuki crowed, "Unfortunately, there is one important fact that you did not know: the kyuubi is a biju. Biju are constructed of pure chakra, and thus, they can't be killed. Instead, you can only seal them; preferably inside a baby because their chakra network is barely developed, making it easier to adapt to the biju's chakra."

It was heartbreaking to see the moment she realized the horrible truth, "No..."

The man Iruka once called a friend burst into high pitched cackling, "That's exactly right, you are the kyuubi! You are the reason Iruka had to grow up as an orphan!"

But suddenly, her posture seemed to relax. 

Naruko gave a disarming smile. Standing up, but not before gently laying Iruka on the ground, she faced Mizuki head-on, "Ya know, I can't help but be thankful to you."

Iruka could only watch in silence as the young blond-whom he viewed as a younger sister-develop into a beautiful, young kunoichi, right before his very eyes.

"Because now that I know why the villagers hate me, I know how to make them see _me._ I just have to show them that I'm Uzumaki Naruko, and not the kyuubi, 'ttebayo."

Her smile grew chilly as her eyes narrowed in anger, teeth bared, almost feral, "However, your actions could have cost Iruka-sensei his life. Touch him again and I will kill you."

Mizuki startled back, before grinning in bravado. "I'm a chunin!" he boasted, "What can _you_ do against me?!"

"Maybe nothing by myself," Naruko admitted, before making a familiar hand sign, "But what about a thousand of me, dattebayo?!"

"Wh-Wha...?"

"KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" The entire forest was filled with orange and yellow. 

"So, Mizuki-sensei, how do you feel about fighting all of us?!" the clones all yelled in unison.

Needless to say, Mizuki didn't stand a chance.

 

~°·§·°~

 

Naruko grinned sheepishly as she helped Iruka lean against a tree, "Sorry 'bout that, Iruka-sensei. I guess I went a bit overboard, dattebayo."

Iruka looked at her with growing pride, "Naruko-chan..."

"I trust you, Iruka-sensei, so I'm going to tell you a secret that only the Hokage and a select few people know." He gave a firm nod, realizing bow serious she was being. "The truth is... i held back at the academy."

"WHAT?!"

Naruko shrugged her shoulders casually, "What can I say, 'ttebayo? The entire village hated me; they still do, if we're being honest here. I was a poor orphan living on my own with no one in my corner. Almost every academy teacher tried to sabotage my learning one way or another.

Besides, if there is one thing that I have learned growing up, is that people fear power when they don't understand it. Whenever I was good at something, they started to fear me as well. And they treated me worse when they feared me than when I was just the village idiot."

"I'm so sorry, Naruko-chan!"

Naruko looked at him curiously, "What do you have to be sorry for? Even when your eyes showed that you hated me, you still treated me fairly. If anything, I should thank you, 'ttebayo. You were there for me far more than you could have ever imagined."

Iruka felt himself beginning to choke up, but forced down the tears, "Naruko-chan, close your eyes for a moment please, I want to give you a gift."

Her entire face lit up in joy, and Iruka was left wondering what type of monsters the village had festered, to hate someone as kind as her. She squeezed her eyes shut, practically vibrating in her excitement.

Iruka looked at her with extreme fondness as he wrapped his hitai around her forehead, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Naruko opened her eyes and gasped when she realized what the item he placed on her head was. Tearing up in happiness, she wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, "I-Iruka-sensei!"

In the next moment, however, she shrieked and pushed herself away, hands sticky with his blood. In her panic, she started babbling, "Iruka-sensei, you were impaled by Mizuki-sensei! You're hurt, dattebayo! What do I do? Do I leave you here by yourself to get another ninja, preferably a med-nin? But what if I don't get help in time?! I could stay here, but I don't know a thing about first aid! They always kicked me out whenever that class was in session, 'ttebayo!"

Her help came in the form of Sasuke Uchiha. Iruka berated himself for not being able to sense the other, and promised himself to retrain his skills the moment he could.

From his side, Naruko tensed, "How long were you...?"

"Long enough," Sasuke seemed to slump his posture when Naruko tensed further, "If anyone believes you are anything or anyone besides Uzumaki Naruko, sunshine incarnate to the point that it's overbearing, then they must be some of the stupidest sons of a bitch on this planet. Anyone with eyes _and a brain_ can tell that you're nothing like the kyuubi."

Naruko gave a watery smile and a soft sigh, tension leaving her shoulders, "Thanks, teme."

Sasuke scoffed, "No problem, dobe, just get some help. I'll stay here and make sure he stays stable." With a nod, she was off, leaving Iruka with the confusing Uchiha. 

"So, Sasuke-kun," he began as Sasuke started to check him over for other injuries, "I've never seen you talk so much in one setting," he lightly teased, "It's nice to see you act so comfortably with someone else, for once. However, I thought that you and Naruko didn't get along-?"

"My relationship with Naruko is none of your business," Sasuke's voice was low and serious, "We may act like we hate each other at times, but that's just our dynamic. We are close because we understand each other's pain. You may have lost your parents in the kyuubi attack, but you had friends and other people to care for you afterwards. Since the day she was born, Naruko has been completely and utterly alone."

His movements were strict and methodical, patching up the various injuries as best as he could, "The only reason why I am sharing these things is because I know you care about her. However, I need you to realize, one crass word from you can hurt her more than the entire village combined. She knows you care for her, which males you all the more precious in her eyes."

"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun, I intend to never betray her trust in me." Kami knows he didn't deserve it. 

"Hn." And once more, Sasuke was back to one syllable responses.

 

~°·§·°~

 

In the end, Naruko had ran into Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Naruko, what did you think you were doing?!" shouted Kotetsu once he noticed her.

"That's not important right now," she barreled on when it looked like they were about to argue with her, "Mizuki-sensei is a traitor and Iruka-sensei got hurt protecting me him! He needs immediate medical attention!"

Izumo sputtered, "This better not be an elaborate prank, Naruko! Why do you say that he's a traitor?"

Naruko sputtered in response, enraged at their accusations and the stressfulness of the situation. "Two things," she practically snarled at them, "For one, I would _never_ risk the safety of the village or another life simple, _stupid_ ** _prank!_** And two, Mizuki told me what I held inside of me."

Both ninjas blanched, turning grim, "Take us to Iruka, Naruko."

Two hours later, Naruko found herself in the hospital with Sasuke-teme, Izumo and Kotetsu, and Hokage-jiji. They were waiting for permission to see Iruka-sensei, who was still in the process of being healed.

Naruko scoffed when she saw their dark expressions, turning everyone's attention towards her, "It's like you don't believe in Iruka-sensei! He will be fine."

Wagging a finger at them, she semi-seriously chided, "Believe in your comrades, because it's that very belief that makes Konoha strong and helps keep the will of fire alive. I believe in Iruka-sensei, so I know that he will turn out alright. Everything will be fine-things like these tend to sort themselves out."

Naruko stopped and blinked, blushing a bit when she saw them looking at her with a strange glint in their eyes (it was pride).

Jiji chuckled, "Naruko-chan, you are practically the living embodiment of the will of fire. I'm proud to call you one of my shinobi."

"Hokage-sama?" one of the nurses spoke up, "The patient is ready to see visitors."

Naruko let out a whoop of happiness, before clamping her mouth shut when she realized that she was in a hospital.

The nurse smiled forlornly at her, "Also, if you could please keep the noise level down, it would be greatly appreciated.

"Sorry 'ttebayo," Naruko giggled in embarrassment, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "I just got excited when I heard that Iruka-sensei was alright."

Iruka was sitting up in bed when they entered the room. His face brightened visibly, and his shoulders slumped in relief when he saw the cheerful blonde, "Naruko-chan! I'm so glad you're ok; no one would tell me what happened to you."

Turning his attention towards the Hokage, he bowed his head in respect, "Hokage-sama. I assume you're here to talk about what happened with Mizuki?"

"Among other things," he replied in a mild tone of voice, "But first off-Sasuke-kun, what we're about to discuss is a village secret. If you would..." he trailed off, gesturing to the halls.

"I know what she holds inside," he responded bluntly, paying no attention to how the others stiffened, "I got there just in time to hear Mizuki talk about it."

The Hokage frowned, Naruko noticed. There was no trace of jiji in his expression, just the calculating look pf their leader who has spilt the blood pf others so Konoha could have peace and prosperity. She lamented the life of a ninja. You could not stay innocent in this job occupation. 

"Sasuke-kun, I need you to keep Naruko's status a secret. Failure to do so will result in your immediate execution. This village secret is more important than your status as the.last loyal Uchiha."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. I am loyal."

The Hokage's face softened, and some of jiji came back. He gave a small, knowing smile, "But loyal to _who,_ I wonder? Nevertheless, you were a key witness to what transpired and thus, should also give your own account as to what happened."

The next several moments were grim as the Hokage ruthlessly drilled into Iruka-sensei for as many details as he could remember. Iruka took everything in stride, replying to all of the questions with a stoic blankness that only a seasoned ninja could muster. He seemed apathetic when talking about Mizuki, but Naruko knew better.

Mizuki was his friend, and the betrayal was probably still fresh in his mind. She shifted over to him in a form of silent support, like she did with everybody else once it was their turn to speak (she even went as far as interlocking her pinkie finger with Sasuke's when he started to look particularly angry, no doubt thinking about his brother). 

Finally, it was her turn to answer questions.

"Naruko-chan, how are you feeling?"

Naruko knew that her jiji had only tried to look out for her, so she answered him with complete honesty, "I feel very upset."

She saw jiji wince, and some part of her heart ached for him, but she held firm. She loved him and had already forgiven him for not telling her about the kyuubi himself, but she was still upset. It hurt to know that he didn't trust her enough with this secret.

"I'm not upset about what I am," she looked her Hokage-jiji in the eyes and _willed_ him to understand, "but how I found out about it. It hurts to realize that you didn't trust me as much as I thought you had.I wish you would have told me, at least once, when I asked you all those times why everyone in the village hated me."

Jiji sighed mournfully, looking at her with such sad eyes, "I am truly sorry, Naruko-chan. I hoped that by keeping your status a secret, you could grow up with a normal childhood and friends. You must understand, you are not the only one of your kind. There are eight others like you out there, with a biju sealed inside of them. They are brutally trained from a young age to become deadly shinobi.

This burden thrust upon you, without your consent, has turned you into a human weapon. You are a jinchuuriki, a human sacrifice. You are supposed to be the most powerful, yet the most expendable one of us all out of all the shinobi ranks. I didn't want that life for you. People tend to forget that while the perfect shinobi is supposed to be a mindless tool used to further the good of the village, we are human above all else."

Naruko was crying softly by the end of it, at the thought of anyone else having to go through what she went through. For some strange reason, however, Sasuke looked livid. 

She took a few calming breaths and spoke up again, "You still could'a told me, ya know? Or at least explained why you couldn't, 'ttebayo. I would have understood, honest." She felt too emotionally drained to feel embarrassed at the way her voice cracked in the end. "I understand why you did it and I forgive you, but please don't do that to me again. It was a horrible experience."

"Of course," the Hokage even looked a bit ashamed, "I am truly thankful that you have such a kind soul. Anyone else would have attacked us by now and it would have been justified. I know this is really selfish of me, but I ask that you never let go of that kindness."

"Naruko-chan," Izumo spoke up from the sidelines, "Do you wanna eat ramen with us? You're a pretty ok kid, so Kotetsu and I thought it'd be nice if we could get to know you more."

Naruko gave him a tired smile in reply, "I'm sorry, but do you mind of we make a rain check, dattebayo? I'm really tired right now and I just wanna rest for a bit. Maybe when Iruka-sensei is feeling better, we could all go out to Ichiraku's."

Izumo nodded in agreement, "that is completely understandable. Well, if you want to give us a holler, we're most likely doing gate duty or border patrols."  

Naruko bid them all adieu and went on her way back to her apartment. Vaguely, like looking through a foggy glass, she heard Sasuke-teme dismiss himself as well. 

Her mind was going back to those dark memories of her childhood. Of starvation and anger and hate. Of when she realized that the only place in the village where they treated the her best was in the red light district. 

Because the people who belong to that place were also considered as either the scum or the playthings of society. And the people who didn't belong, but were staying to indulge themselves in the pleasures that the red-light district had to offer, were either passed out cold from the alcohol, or too high to notice and bother the blonde.

She snapped out of her thoughts when without warning, Sasuke grabbed her wrist and began to drag her away.

Naruko growled in frustration. "Sasuke-teme, I am **not** in the mood for this, right now," she warned darkly.

Sasuke snapped back, "Of course you're not! But like hell am I going to let you go back to your dinky apartment where you'll be by yourself, all alone! Not after what you just experienced! You'll stay with me tonight."

Naruko fell silent, squeezing his hand in gratitude. Instantly, Sasuke squeezed back.

Under the cover of the night, two young preteens walked to the Uchiha compound. One thought about the revelations of their secret while the other thought about their growing hatred for the village, and all the lies and secrets it swept under the rugs. Both, however, made a promise to themselves to protect their precious people.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a self-indulgent fic, so unless the criticism is about grammar, I am more than likely going to ignore it. 
> 
> However, if you you make a suggestion for a plot development, and I find it interesting, I may or may not incorporate it into my story.


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